Happy May!
Thank you to all our chapter members who were involved in various activities and events during April to celebrate Earth Month and National Native Plant Month. But wait… there’s more! May 2026 has been declared Maryland Native Plant Month by Governor Wes Moore. This designation celebrates the essential role that native plants play in supporting healthy ecosystems, resilient landscapes and vibrant local biodiversity, and Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay continues to celebrate native plants throughout May.
Featured Highlights
As part of our ongoing efforts to promote native plants in our region, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay reached out to Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, and Prince George’s counties to request county proclamations to support Governor Moore’s State proclamation. We are wildly appreciative that each county in Southern Maryland has signed a proclamation to recognize May 2026 as Native Plant Month.
To recognize May as Native Plant Month across our region, we are encouraging residents to observe the month by learning more about the many benefits of native plants; attending local events focused on native plants; supporting our local nurseries; planting native trees, shrubs, and flowers in our yards and communities; and removing non-native invasive plants.
Read the proclamaations:
- State of Maryland
- Charles County
- Calvert County
- St. Mary’s County
- Anne Arundel County
- Prince George’s County
What are native plants and why are they important?
A healthy planet starts with native plants. Native plants are indigenous species that have evolved alongside native wildlife and occur naturally in a particular geographic region, ecosystem, and habitat. They are essential for healthy, diverse, and sustainable ecosystems and are critical for cleaning air, filtering water, and stabilizing soils.
Native plants are well-adapted to specific soils, temperatures, precipitation, and other environmental conditions, making them the best option for conserving and protecting our environment, and adapting to its changes. They provide food (including nectar, pollen, seeds, and foliage) for native birds, caterpillars, butterflies, bees, and other wildlife in ways that non-native plants cannot.
The Southern Maryland region is home to hundreds of native plant species, which include large shade trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, grasses, and wildflowers. However, habitat loss and degradation, extreme weather events, and invasive species have contributed to the decline of native plants.
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay believes it is important to encourage public awareness about the benefits of native plants to pollinators and other wildlife, to the economy, and to the health and sustainability of local fragile ecosystems. We recognize that native plants are essential components of our rich natural heritage and resilient ecosystems.
Local Events Celebrating Native Plant Month
Our May events feature something for everyone! Whether you are new to native plants or an expert, we hope you will find something in our region to celebrate Native Plant Month.
Volunteers Welcome! Please visit our new Volunteer Sign Up form and consider lending a hand at some of our upcoming events or at our garden workdays. Check back often, as new opportunities are constantly being added.
We truly appreciate members who have signed up to help make our events successful and who make our garden workdays so much fun (“Many hands make light work!). Your support helps our chapter grow and ensures our vision of native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community.
Some featured events hosted or promoted by Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay throughout the region include:
First Friday – Leonardtown Parkette Pollinator Patch
Friday, May 1st, 2026
5:00 – 8:00 pm
Parkette Pollinator Patch at the Ltown Alley W, 22698 Washington St, Leonardtown, MD, 20650 Map
Come and explore the beauty of native plants at the Parkette Pollinator Patch in Leonardtown. Meet members of the Leonardtown Butterfly Trail team (Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, St. Mary’s County Garden Club, St. Mary’s County Master Gardeners) to learn about the native plants in the pollinator patch. Learn about monarch butterflies and the other pollinators that visit the gardens.
Right Plant Right Place
Tuesday, May 5th, 2026
6:30 – 7:30 pm
Deale Library, 5940 Deale Churchton Rd, Deale, MD, 20751 Map
Many people are looking to add native plants to their gardens but don’t know what to get or what is native for our area. This presentation will go over some of the most common native plants and where to plant them for success. Native Plants are essential because they are the foundation of the ecosystem. Native Plants are those that an ecosystem depends on in order to thrive. We can help fight the biodiversity crisis one yard at a time.
Native Plant and Seed Swap and Share
Saturday, May 9th, 2026
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Leonardtown Library, 23260 Hayden Farm Ln, Leonardtown, MD, 20650 Map
Bring your native plants and seeds to trade with other gardeners at our inaugural spring native plant swap at the “Front Yard” native gardens.
This free event offers both experienced and new gardeners a chance to add native plants to their yards. In doing so, you will be creating habitat for our native birds, bees and butterflies.
Tots in the Front Yard: Colors in the Front Yard
Saturday, May 16th, 2026
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Leonardtown Library, 23630 Hayden Farm Ln, Leonardtown, MD, 20650 Map
Explore the Leonardtown Library’s Front Yard Pollinator Garden with magnifying glasses and children’s binoculars looking for and identifying birds and bugs in the garden. We can loan our guests magnifying glasses and binoculars but if you have your own, please feel free to bring them.
This month: Colors in the Front Yard – A scavenger hunt in the Front Yard looking for all the colors in the rainbow and more!
Garden Chat/Member Meeting
Tuesday, May 19th, 2026
7:00 – 8:00 pm
Online/Virtual
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in natives!
Join us for our bi-monthly Garden Chat to connect and learn from other native plant garden enthusiasts in our area. We welcome gardeners that are just beginning their journey to those with many years of experience as we all continue to learn about native plants and their ecosystems.
NatureFest 2026
Saturday, May 30th, 2026
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
College of Southern Maryland, 8730 Mitchell Rd, La Plata, MD, 20646 Map
Prepare to be amazed, get your hands dirty, and have loads of fun as we learn about the beauties of nature together! This is a FREE event for families of all ages.
Where to Get Native Plants
Plant shares and sales happen regularly throughout the spring season, and again in the fall. Most shares are very welcoming to new gardeners and there is usually no expectation that you bring plants to share. Sales often include smaller growers, and they are a great resource for learning about native plants.
- Check out this running list of native plant shares and sales by the Maryland Native Plant Society.
- Check out this list of shares and sales by Amanda Wray, President of Wild Ones Greater Baltimore.
- If you are a member of the Maryland Area Gardening for the Environmentally Conscious (MAGEC) group on Facebook, check out their comprehensive list of Maryland plant shares and sales in the comments of their annual thread.
Support Local Native Plant Nurseries and Seed Libraries
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is proud to support and recommend our local native plant nurseries and seed libraries. For more information on our partnerships with each of these local suppliers of plants and/or seeds, visit this link.
- Bona Terra
- Butterfly Alley
- Chesapeake Natives
- EcoBay Landscape | Design
- Goodman LLC
- College of Southern Maryland Seedbox
- St. Mary’s County S.E.E.D.S. Libraries
Recent News Blogs
Nonprofit Spotlight – Homegrown National Park
Have you noticed that partnerships are key to successful nonprofits? Did you know that Wild Ones partners with Homegrown National Park? In this third post in our ongoing series of nonprofit organizations, we introduce you to Homegrown National Parks, whose work aligns with the Wild Ones mission to promote native landscapes through education, advocacy and collaborative action, and our vision of native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community. Read more…
Three Partners Sweep 2025 Sustainability Awards
In a press release on Earth Day (April 22, 2026), the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County and the Commission on the Environment announced its 2025 Sustainability Awards. Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is proud to share that the winners in all three categories are partners with our chapter in promoting native plants through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Together we have a vision of native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community. Read more…
If you’re not following our News blogs, please check them out. This is one of the ways we keep our members and community up to date on what’s happening in our chapter. As always, we invite all members to contribute to our chapter’s News blog and/or social media channels. If you have anything related to native plants that you’d like to write about for publication on our News blog or social media, please email us, along with any photos or videos, and we’ll be happy to publish them. Likewise, if your work in the community has been recognized in the media or if you’ve received an award, please let us know so we can share it with our chapter members and the national office. We know our members are doing a lot of great work out in our community, and we’d like to share and recognize your accomplishments!
Wildly appreciative of your continued support!
Additional Resources
Maryland Native Plant Program information
More Ways to Celebrate Maryland Native Plant Month in May 2026
Read the Maryland Department of Agricultural News Release
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in native plants and cultivating partnerships, while striving to educate, advocate, and collaborate to connect people and native plants for a healthy planet. Our vision is native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community. Check out our Events page, Google calendar, Facebook, and/or Instagram for our upcoming events. And don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube channel and email subscriber list!
